Pudgal (पुद्गल)

Central Theme: Pudgal is the only rupi dravya (रूपी द्रव्य) among the six dravyas. Its defining characteristics are varna, gandha, rasa and sparsha, and its innumerable combinations produce everything from gross physical bodies to extremely subtle karmic matter.

Important source note: The uploaded Karmavaad book does not contain a dedicated systematic treatment of Pudgal, Vargana, or the 23 Varganas. So these notes use the standard Jain framework from Tattvartha Sutra, Panchastikaya, Niyamasara and Jain explanatory literature rather than pretending these details come from the book. (JainQQ)

Pudgal as a Dravya

• Pudgal is one of the six dravyas (षड्द्रव्य):

  • Jiva
  • Pudgal
  • Dharma
  • Adharma
  • Akasha
  • Kala

• Pudgal is ajiva (अजीव), meaning it has no consciousness.

• Pudgal is rupi (रूपी) because it possesses:

  • Varna (वर्ण)
  • Gandha (गंध)
  • Rasa (रस)
  • Sparsha (स्पर्श)

• The word Pudgal is traditionally explained through:

  • Pud = joining or combining
  • Gal = separating or disintegrating

• Therefore Pudgal is characterized by continuous possibilities of combination and separation (pudgalana and galana).

• Unlike Jiva, Pudgal has no consciousness or knowledge.

• Pudgal is infinite in quantity and exists throughout the Lokakasha (लोकाकाश). (Jain Belief)

The Four Fundamental Properties of Pudgal

• Every Pudgal has four fundamental properties:

  • Varna (वर्ण): colour

  • Gandha (गंध): smell

  • Rasa (रस): taste

  • Sparsha (स्पर्श): touch

• These four are not optional properties.

  • Pudgal cannot exist without them.

  • Their particular forms can change, but Pudgal remains Pudgal.

• These four properties together have 20 principal subdivisions:

  • 5 Varna

  • 2 Gandha

  • 5 Rasa

  • 8 Sparsha

• Each of these can have further gradations of intensity, producing innumerable variations. (JainQQ)

Varna (वर्ण)

• Varna means colour.

• There are 5 principal colours:

  • Krishna (कृष्ण) = black

  • Nila (नील) = blue

  • Rakta (रक्त) = red

  • Pita (पीत) = yellow

  • Shveta (श्वेत) = white

• These are not merely human visual categories.

  • They are modes of Pudgal.

  • A Pudgal can transform from one colour mode to another.

• Colour therefore belongs to the material nature of Pudgal, not to consciousness. (JainQQ)

Gandha (गंध)

• Gandha means smell.

• There are 2 principal types:

  • Sugandha (सुगंध) = pleasant smell

  • Durgandha (दुर्गंध) = unpleasant smell

• Gandha is an intrinsic Pudgal property.

• Different combinations of Pudgal can therefore have different smells.

Rasa (रस)

• Rasa means taste.

• There are 5 principal types:

  • Madhura (मधुर) = sweet

  • Amla (अम्ल) = sour

  • Tikta (तिक्त) = bitter

  • Katu (कटु) = pungent

  • Kashaya (कषाय) = astringent

• Rasa is also a Pudgal property and varies according to the particular Pudgal configuration. (JainQQ)

Sparsha (स्पर्श)

• Sparsha means touch or tactile quality.

• There are 8 types:

  • Shita (शीत) = cold
  • Ushna (उष्ण) = hot
  • Snigdha (स्निग्ध) = smooth, adhesive
  • Ruksha (रूक्ष) = rough, dry
  • Mridu (मृदु) = soft
  • Kathina (कठिन) = hard
  • Guru (गुरु) = heavy
  • Laghu (लघु) = light

• These can be understood as four pairs:

  • Cold and hot
  • Smooth and rough
  • Soft and hard
  • Heavy and light

• The important subtlety is that not every Pudgal unit manifests all eight sparshas simultaneously.

• At the paramanu level, Jain texts distinguish between:

  • Sparsha that are intrinsic to the paramanu
  • Sparsha that emerge as relational or aggregate properties in larger skandhas

• In particular, one standard explanation says a paramanu has:

  • One varna
  • One gandha
  • One rasa
  • Two mutually compatible sparsha

• The remaining tactile distinctions such as soft/hard and heavy/light are treated as properties that arise at the aggregate level rather than as independent intrinsic qualities of the isolated paramanu. (JainQQ)

Paramanu (परमाणु)

• Paramanu is the smallest indivisible unit of Pudgal.

• It cannot be:

  • Cut

  • Divided

  • Pierced

  • Further physically decomposed

• It is not equivalent to the modern scientific atom.

  • Jain paramanu is a metaphysical ultimate unit.

  • Modern atoms are themselves composite according to modern physics.

• A paramanu:

  • Has one colour

  • Has one smell

  • Has one taste

  • Has the relevant touch qualities

  • Occupies one pradesha (प्रदेश) of space

• Paramanu is therefore the fundamental building unit from which larger Pudgal aggregates arise. (JainQQ)

Pudgal Composition: Paramanu to Skandha

• The basic hierarchy is:

  • Paramanu

  • Skandha Pradesh

  • Skandha Desha

  • Skandha

• The key idea is not simply "small to large".

• It describes different ways of looking at the same material aggregate and its parts.

Skandha (स्कंध)

• Skandha means an aggregate or mass of Pudgal.

• When multiple paramanus combine, they form a skandha.

• Examples at the gross level:

  • Stone

  • Wood

  • Water

  • Physical body

• Skandha can therefore range from extremely subtle aggregates to extremely gross material objects.

• Combination is possible because of the bonding properties of Pudgal, particularly the snigdha and ruksha characteristics. (Wikipedia)

Skandha Desha (स्कंध देश)

• Desha means a portion or part.

• A portion of an existing skandha, while still connected to the whole, is called skandha desha.

• Example:

  • A hand is a part of a statue while it remains attached.

  • It is therefore a desha of the larger skandha.

• Once separated sufficiently from the original aggregate, that portion can itself become a separate skandha. (Jain Samaj Mail)

Skandha Pradesh (स्कंध प्रदेश)

• Pradesh refers to the smallest spatial unit occupied within the aggregate.

• A skandha can be considered in terms of its constituent pradeshas.

• The important distinction:

  • Desha is a portion of the aggregate.

  • Pradesh is a much smaller constituent unit of the aggregate.

• A paramanu occupies one pradesha.

• Therefore one pradesha is not necessarily synonymous with a paramanu in every conceptual context, although one isolated paramanu occupies exactly one pradesha. (Jaina)

Paramanu and Pradesh

• Think of the distinction as:

  • Paramanu = the ultimate material entity

  • Pradesh = the spatial unit occupied by it

• An isolated paramanu occupies one pradesha.

• This is why Jain metaphysics can discuss both:

  • How many paramanus a Pudgal aggregate contains

  • How many pradeshas of space that aggregate occupies

Skandha by Grossness

• Pudgal aggregates are also classified according to how gross or subtle they are.

1. Sthula sthula (स्थूल स्थूल) = gross gross

Stone and wood

2. Sthula (स्थूल) = gross

Water and similar substances

3. Sthula sukshma (स्थूल सूक्ष्म) = gross subtle

Light, darkness and shadow

4. Sukshma sthula (सूक्ष्म स्थूल) = subtle gross

Sensory objects that are not visible but can be perceived through other senses

5. Sukshma (सूक्ष्म) = subtle

Karmic Pudgal,

6. Sukshma sukshma (सूक्ष्म सूक्ष्म) = extremely subtle

Matter finer than karmic matter

• This classification is important because not all Pudgal is accessible to the physical senses. (Wikipedia)

Vargana (वर्गणा)

• Vargana means a grouping or cluster of Pudgal paramanus possessing the capacity for a particular type of association or function.

• The key distinction:

  • Skandha describes an aggregate of Pudgal.

  • Vargana classifies aggregates according to their constitution and suitability for particular functions.

• The soul does not simply absorb random Pudgal.

• Certain Pudgal groupings are associable (grahya) and can be assimilated by the embodied Jiva.

• Other groupings are agrahya (अग्राह्य) and cannot be assimilated in that particular way. (JainQQ)

Eight Important Varganas Used by Jiva

Audarika Vargana (औदारिक वर्गणा)

• Pudgal used to form the physical body (audarika sharira).
• Relevant primarily to:
  • Humans
  • Animals
  • Plants
  • Other ordinary embodied beings
• This is the grossest and most familiar body-forming Pudgal among the principal body Varganas.

Vaikriya Vargana (वैक्रिय वर्गणा)

• Pudgal capable of forming the vaikriya body (वैक्रिय शरीर)

• Associated especially with:

  • Celestial beings
  • Infernal beings
  • Certain beings capable of transformation of bodily form

• The distinguishing feature is the body's capacity for vikriya, transformation or modification.

Aharaka Vargana (आहारक वर्गणा)

• Pudgal used in the formation of the aharaka body (आहारक शरीर).
• This is associated with advanced ascetic beings possessing the necessary aharaka labdhi (आहारक लब्धि).
• It is therefore not ordinary food consumption.
• Here "aharaka" refers to Pudgal that can be assimilated for formation of a specific subtle body. (JainQQ)

Taijasa Vargana (तैजस वर्गणा)

• Pudgal associated with the taijasa body (तैजस शरीर).

• Every worldly Jiva has a taijasa body.

• It is associated with:

  • Energy

  • Digestion

  • Metabolic processes

  • Vital functioning

• It should not simply be equated with modern "energy" or electricity.

  • The Jain category is metaphysical and broader than a modern physics definition. (JainQQ)

Bhasha Vargana (भाषा वर्गणा)

• Pudgal suitable for the production of sound (shabda).

• It participates in the material basis of speech.

• Sound itself is a Pudgal paryaya, not a property of Jiva.

• This explains how a conscious Jiva can use a material medium to express speech:

  • Jiva provides consciousness and intention.

  • Bhasha Pudgal provides the material basis for sound.

Shvasocchvasa Vargana (श्वासोच्छ्वास वर्गणा)

• Pudgal associated with inhalation and exhalation (shvasocchvasa).

• Living beings continuously interact with such Pudgal.

• It therefore represents another form of material assimilation associated with embodied life. (JainQQ)

Mano Vargana (मनो वर्गणा)

• Pudgal associated with the physical mind (dravya mana).

• Important distinction:

  • Jiva has consciousness.

  • Mano Vargana provides the material basis of the physical mind.

• Therefore Jainism distinguishes between:

  • Bhava mana (भाव मन) = conscious mental activity

  • Dravya mana (द्रव्य मन) = material mind

• This distinction becomes important when understanding how consciousness interacts with a material body.

Karmana Vargana (कार्मण वर्गणा)

• The most spiritually important Pudgal category in Karmavaad.

• These Pudgal aggregates are capable of becoming karma Pudgal associated with the Jiva.

• The embodied Jiva assimilates karmic matter under the appropriate conditions.

• The assimilated karma Pudgal forms the karmana sharira (कार्मण शरीर).

• Therefore:

  • Karma is not merely an abstract moral record.

  • In Jain metaphysics, karma has a material Pudgal aspect.

• This connects directly with the earlier Karmavaad framework:

  • Jiva has consciousness.

  • Kashaya and yoga create the conditions for karmic influx and bondage.

  • Karmic Pudgal becomes associated with the Jiva.

  • Its later fruition produces obscuration, feeling, bodily conditions and other effects.

The 23 Main Varganas

• Jain texts also classify Pudgal into 23 principal Varganas.

• This is a different classification from simply listing the eight functional Varganas above.

• The 23-fold classification proceeds broadly from very small groupings toward increasingly large or specialized groupings. (Encyclopedia of Jainism)

• The sequence is:

  • Anu Vargana
  • Sankhyata Anu Vargana
  • Asankhyata Anu Vargana
  • Ananta Anu Vargana
  • Ahara Vargana
  • Prathama Agrahya Vargana
  • Taijasa Vargana
  • Dwitiya Agrahya Vargana
  • Bhasha Vargana
  • Tritiya Agrahya Vargana
  • Mano Vargana
  • Chaturtha Agrahya Vargana
  • Dhruva Vargana
  • Karmana Vargana
  • Sanantara Nirantara Vargana
  • Shunya Vargana
  • Pratyeka Sharira Vargana
  • Dwitiya Dhruva Shunya Vargana
  • Badara Nigoda Vargana
  • Tritiya Shunya Vargana
  • Sukshma Nigoda Vargana
  • Nabho Vargana
  • Mahaskandha Vargana

• The exact terminology and ordering can vary slightly across texts and traditions, so for detailed memorisation the relevant source text should be followed rather than mixing lists from different Jain traditions. (Encyclopedia of Jainism)

Grahya and Agrahya Pudgal

• A major concept behind the Vargana classification is grahyata (ग्राह्यता), or suitability for association with Jiva.

• Not every Pudgal aggregate is usable by a Jiva.

• The first four Varganas:

  • Anu
  • Sankhyata Anu
  • Asankhyata Anu
  • Ananta Anu
  • are described in one standard exposition as below the threshold required for psychic assimilation.

• The Ahara Vargana is the first category described as crossing the threshold of associability.

• This is why "the soul consumes Pudgal" should not be interpreted as:

  • Jiva physically eating every particle around it.

• Rather:

  • Certain suitable Pudgal aggregates come into association with the embodied Jiva.

  • They are assimilated and transformed into body, respiration, speech, mind, energy or karmic structures. (JainQQ)

What Does the Soul Actually Consume?

• Strictly speaking, Jiva does not consume Pudgal as Jiva.

• The embodied Jiva assimilates suitable Pudgal through its association with body, yoga and other mechanisms.

• The important assimilated categories include Pudgal used for:

  • Physical body

  • Vaikriya body

  • Aharaka body

  • Taijasa body

  • Speech

  • Respiration

  • Physical mind

  • Karma body

• Thus the statement "Jiva consumes Pudgal" is a shorthand.

• More precisely:

  • Samsari Jiva interacts with and assimilates suitable Pudgal Varganas.
  • Siddha Jiva has no body, no mind, no speech and no karma body, so this material assimilation no longer occurs.

Pudgal and the Five Bodies

• Jainism describes five types of bodies:

  • Audarika Sharira
  • Vaikriya Sharira
  • Aharaka Sharira
  • Taijasa Sharira
  • Karmana Sharira

• Their material basis comes from corresponding Pudgal Varganas.

• All worldly Jivas possess:

  • Taijasa body
  • Karmana body

• Other bodies depend on the particular Jiva and its state. (Wisdom Library)

Pudgal and Karma

• This is the bridge between Pudgal theory and Karmavaad.
• Karma has two sides that should not be collapsed:
  • Bhava side = Jiva's psychological and spiritual state, especially Kashaya and Yoga
  • Dravya side = karmic Pudgal that becomes associated with the Jiva
• Therefore:
  • Jiva does not become material.
  • Pudgal does not become conscious.
  • Their association produces the embodied karmic condition.
• The earlier Karmavaad discussion of Asrava, Bandha, Samvar and Nirjara therefore operates across this Jiva Pudgal relationship.
• Karma Pudgal entering through Asrava is not the same thing as ordinary physical matter such as food.
• Karmana Vargana is an exceptionally subtle category of Pudgal. (Jain World)

Pudgal Paryaya (पुद्गल पर्याय)

• Pudgal continuously undergoes transformation.
• Important Pudgal manifestations include:
  • Bandha = combination or bonding
  • Bheda = separation
  • Sthula = grossness
  • Sukshma = subtlety
  • Samsthana = form or configuration
  • Shabda = sound
  • Tam = darkness
  • Chhaya = shadow
  • Atapa = heat/light
  • Udyota = luminosity
• These are modes or manifestations of Pudgal rather than separate dravyas. (JainGPT)

The Most Important Conceptual Map

• Pudgal
  • Rupi dravya
  • Four fundamental properties
    • Varna - 5
    • Gandha - 2
    • Rasa - 5
    • Sparsha - 8
  • Pudgal units
    • Paramanu
    • Skandha Pradesh
    • Skandha Desha
    • Skandha
  • Groupings
    • Vargana
  • Functional Varganas
    • Audarika
    • Vaikriya
    • Aharaka
    • Taijasa
    • Bhasha
    • Shvasocchvasa
    • Mano
    • Karmana
    • Karmic relationship with Jiva
      • Karma Pudgala
        • Karmana Vargana that has become bound as Dravya Karma
        • 8 Karma types
      • Nokarma Pudgala
        • Non-karmic pudgala associated with the embodied Jiva
        • Includes the pudgala constituting/serving the physical, speech, mind, respiration, etc.
  • Important spiritual application
    • Karmana Vargana's pudgal is capable of turning into karma pudgal
    • Taijasa and other Pudgal form the material infrastructure of embodied life
    • Jiva remains fundamentally conscious and distinct from Pudgal

Why Pudgal Matters for Karmavaad

• Without understanding Pudgal, "karma is matter" remains only a slogan.

• The framework becomes clearer:

  • Jiva = consciousness

  • Yoga = activity of mind, speech and body

  • Kashaya = attachment, aversion and passions

  • Asrava = conditions through which karmic Pudgal comes into association

  • Bandha = karmic Pudgal becoming bound with Jiva

  • Uday = karmic matter producing its corresponding fruition

  • Samvar = stopping fresh karmic influx

  • Nirjara = destruction/shedding of previously bound karma

• The key causal distinction is:

  • Jiva supplies the conscious and bhava dimension.

  • Pudgal supplies the material dimension.

  • Karma theory explains their beginningless association and the process through which that association can ultimately cease.

Further Study

• For the next layer, look up:

  • Tattvartha Sutra 5.23 onward for Pudgal and its qualities.

  • Panchastikaya for Skandha, Desha, Pradesh and Paramanu.

  • Niyamasara for the distinction between paramanu-level and skandha-level qualities.

  • Gommatasara Jivakanda for the detailed 23 Vargana classification.

  • Karma Granthas for Karmana Vargana and the detailed mechanism of karma Pudgal.

• The most useful next conceptual question is not memorising all 23 Varganas. It is understanding how a paramanu becomes a skandha, how skandhas form Varganas, and why only certain Varganas are associable with Jiva. That gives the structural backbone for the later Karma Pudgal discussion.